Senators 5, Predators 4 (OT)

The Ottawa Senators found a way to win Thursday night.

But not before they made it difficult on themselves.

Just when it looked like the Senators were home and cooled with the two points in hand, the Nashville Predators erased a three-goal third-period deficit. However, Anthony Duclair played the role of hero by scoring the overtime winner on the power play to give Ottawa a dramatic 5-4 victory in front of 10,407 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Not only did Duclair’s 20th of the season at 2:40 of overtime give the club the two points, it allowed goaltender Marcus Hogberg to secure his first NHL win and Mark Borowiecki made sure he saved the puck as a souvenir.

“It’s a good feeling. I just want to keep going,” said Duclair, who tied a career-high in 36 games that he set during the 2015-16 campaign with Arizona. “We’ve got a lot of hockey left. The team is playing well at home. Personally, there’s a lot of hockey left and my confidence is the highest it’s ever been, for sure.”

While goals from Brady Tkachuk, Artem Anisimov, Vladislav Namestnikov and Colin White allowed Ottawa to pull out to a 4-1 lead early in the third on Nashville, the Predators came storming back with goals from Roman Josi, Ryan Johansen and Rocco Grimaldi to tie it up. Nashville’s Craig Smith had scored earlier in the first to get his club on the board.

Hogberg was the surprise starter in this one. Yes, he made 36 stops in the club’s 4-3 OT loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday, but the plan was go with Anders Nilsson in this one. However, that changed in the afternoon when Nilsson fell ill and the club had to recall Filip Gustavsson to dress as the backup.

Ottawa Senators goalie Marcus Hogberg displays the game puck after collecting his first NHL victory in a 5-4 overtime decision against the Nashville Predators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. Bruce Garrioch, PostmediaBruce Garrioch /
Postmedia

Hogberg looked good, especially in the third, period when Nashville was coming in waves as Ottawa was outshot 17-3 and 37-23 in regulation. This may not have made it to OT without him and he only found out in the afternoon he was playing when he got a call from goalie coach Pierre Groulx.

“It was amazing. I was really happy at that moment,” said Hogberg.

Josi scored with 6:53 left in the game to erase Ottawa’s three-goal lead and the Senators weren’t happy because they felt Kyle Turris interfered with Anisimov just before the goal was scored. That tied it up 4-4 with the Senators struggling mightily at the time.

Juuse Saros from the Nashville Predators makes a save against Nick Paul from the Ottawa Senators during the first period.Tony Caldwell /
Postmedia

Not long after Tkachuk scored on the power play only 1:20 into the third to give the Senators a 4-1 lead, it didn’t last long as Grimaldi brought the Predators to within two goals only 18 seconds later. Then, a shot deflected off Johansen and by Hogberg at 9:39 on the power play to pull Nashville to within a goal and suddenly the Senators were scrambling.

“(Hogberg) has been solid every time he’s come up here,” said centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who had a three-point night. “He got his first win and I just him that I thought he was never going to win one. Teams are always coming back and making it hard for us but I think everybody was really happy.”

“Our power-play wins us the game tonight. It's been a lot better of late.”

The Senators looked like they were in control late in the second by pulling out to a 3-1 lead thanks to Anisimov’s sixth of the season with 1:19 left. That goal came after some good work by Tyler Ennis controlling the play in the Nashville zone and then throwing a perfect pass to Anisimov in front, who fired it by Saros as Ottawa outshot the Predators 10-3 in the second.

Two goals in 50 seconds by the Senators gave the club a 2-1 lead early in the second.

With the Predators on the power play, the Senators pulled ahead with thanks to Namestnikov’s eighth of the season. He was took the puck down low and beat Saros with a backhander on the glove side at 3:52 and suddenly Ottawa had the Predators on their heels.

Nobody needed a goal more than the one White fired home when he was alone in front at 3:02 to beat Saros. His third of the season when he did some good work to get in front was his first since Nov. 11 against the Carolina Hurricanes to end a 19-game slump.

It wasn’t hard to see the look of relief on White’s face after that puck went upstairs to beat Saros and it came with the two teams playing 4-on-4.

“It’s huge for me, just confidence-wise, and getting that one I’m hoping I can just continue off that,” White told TSN after two periods.

Ottawa Senator Nick Pauls holds back Rocco Grimaldi of the Nashville Predators during the first period.Tony Caldwell /
Postmedia

While the Senators tried to go toe-to-toe with the Predators early, it was Nashville that opened the scoring with 8:44 left in the first. That’s when Smith scored his fifth of the season when he was allowed to walk out front alone and then beat Hogberg with a backhander that didn’t look good as it went through him to give Nashville a 1-0 lead.

“The game’s never, especially against a team that can score like them,” said coach D.J. Smith. “You’ve just got to keep playing. The power play gets two tonight and it’s been good for us.”

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